Remembering Harry Robinson

 

A Kind, Elderly Man

Once or twice a week, 83-year-old Harry Robinson would visit a local bar called The Temple Tavern to watch the rock and roll bands play. He was well known, admired and loved by the regular bar patrons, who always looked forward to seeing him. Mr. Robinson, a widower who had spent 42 years working at Goodyear before he retired, was the proud father of four children and nine grandchildren. All those who knew Mr. Robinson knew him to be a true gentleman who never tried to pick up women, and he was always concerned about the well-being of others. He loved life and never met a stranger. Sadly, Mr. Robinson’s kindness would cost him his life in the most brutal way.

On June 14th, 1988, Harry Robinson was at The Temple Tavern when he was approached by 23-year-old Deena Lambert. Lambert, a drifter who had been in the area about a week, admits to spending the previous six months committing “criminal acts of: property and identity theft against businesses and individuals, pornography, prostitution, drug-trafficking & manufacturing, shop-lifting, fraud, and other criminal acts” with her boyfriend, James Sprake. Ms. Lambert told Mr. Robinson she had gotten in a fight with her boyfriend and asked him to help her get back to her motel. Seeing the woman was under duress, Mr. Robinson offered to assist her. Lambert led him out of the bar by the hand at around 11PM. Lambert told Mr. Robinson she could not remember where the motel was located, so he offered to take her to his apartment where she could use a phone book and call the motel.

The Trail of a Killer

Shortly after midnight on June 15, 1988, Akron, Ohio police received several calls about a disoriented woman who was covered in blood and was believed to be a possible kidnap and rape victim. The woman was in a car on the side of the road and unconscious. When the callers went back to check on her, she was gone. Police arrived and began looking for the woman.

While police were searching, they received a call from a man at St. Thomas Medical Center who reported his car was stolen by a hysterical, blood-covered woman. Police picked the man up and brought him to the abandoned car that he identified as his vehicle.

The man told police that, while he was driving, he observed a woman who was trying to get into a vehicle. According to the man, “She had blood all over her. There were gobs of it all over her. There were gobs stuck in her hair, and she was bleeding badly from her hand.”

The man was afraid the woman would bleed to death, so he offered her a ride to get help. During the driv,e the woman told the man he could not take her to the hospital because “They would put her away forever.” When the man asked her what she meant the woman stated “I killed the motherf…… I cut him up.”

The woman became enraged and the man sped to the emergency room entrance. As he pulled in, he stated that the woman “Freaked out. She was pounding on the dash, kicking her feet, out of control.” The man rushed into the hospital to find a security guard. He ran back to his vehicle when he heard the engine start and saw the woman drive away in his car.

Police asked the man to show them the car the woman was attempting to break into earlier. Police found blood on the car and followed the blood trail to Harry Robinson’s apartment. When they saw blood on the doorknob, they broke in. They found Mr. Robinson face down on the kitchen floor. He had been stabbed multiple times and had been severely beaten with a teakettle. There was blood all over the apartment.

Police began searching for Deena Lambert across town, where they had located the abandoned car. She was found curled up in some weeds. An officer and EMS personnel tried to awaken her, and she did not respond. When they placed her on a cot to transport her to a hospital, Lambert woke up and began fighting. She had to be put in handcuffs and her legs had to be restrained.

Overwhelming Evidence

After Lambert was arrested, police found Mr. Robinson’s watch and flashlight in the car she had stolen. Lambert had thrown Mr. Robinson’s car keys out the window when the man picked her up to take her to the hospital. Police found the keys on a street corner near Mr. Robinson’s apartment. They also found Lambert’s bloody fingerprints throughout the apartment, where she was obviously looking for things to steal. Originally, Lambert claimed she could not remember her name. Lambert later blamed Mr. Robinson for starting the fight and said it was self-defense. As for the details of the murder, she claimed she blacked out and could remember nothing. She was then charged with the murder of Harry Robinson.

At trial, prosecutors said the evidence clearly showed that Lambert saw Mr. Robinson as an elderly man who would be an “easy mark” for a robbery.

Prosecutors played two 911 tapes. In the first call, Mr. Robinson asked for the police to come because Lambert had stolen his wallet and left his apartment. Shortly after that initial call, he called 911 again and said to never mind sending the police because she had come back to return his wallet. It was after her return is that she killed him.

Prosecutors proved the wound on Lambert’s hand was the result of her hand sliding down the blade as she stabbed Mr. Robinson. This likely accounted for the blood found on personal items all throughout the ransacked apartment.

The coroner told jurors that Mr. Robinson was stabbed 32 times and had wounds on his arms, chest, back, legs and head. The coroner said 17 of those wounds were defense wounds that occurred while Mr. Robinson was trying to protect himself. He also had several blunt force trauma injuries. It was apparent he fought hard to live.

Lambert claimed she acted in self-defense. She admitted to hitting Mr. Robinson with teakettle, however she continued to state she did not remember the murder. She said that, after leaving the abandoned car, she considered hiding in a dog house, however she did not want to hurt her good dress. At one point, she also began beating on the witness stand screaming at the assistant prosecutor, “He lied to me! If he hadn’t lied to me, I’d be OK.”

Guilty On All Counts

It took the jury of seven men and five women less than three hours to find Deena Lambert guilty on all counts. She received a life sentence for the aggravated murder of Harry Robinson, 10-25 years for the robbery charge and two years for auto theft. All sentences were ordered to run consecutively (back to back). After sentencing, Lambert told the judge, “I forgive you, in the name of Christ.”

Lambert has made several appeals in an attempt to get out of prison. In one of the appeals, she submitted a completely nonsensical letter in which she claims she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, was involved in a human trafficking ring, and was stalked, abducted, sodomized, tortured and left for dead by a serial killer who has never been found. She also states that, during her incarceration, she has experienced blackouts, nightmares and hallucinations that have resulted in her being assigned to the mental health unit. For years, she has been on psychotropic medications and psychiatric intervention. She again stated she could not remember killing Harry Robinson and took no responsibility for her crimes and expressed absolutely no remorse. She even had the audacity to claim she is the victim. All appeals were rejected by the court.

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UPDATE: Murderer Deena Lambert died in prison on August 28, 2015. Thank you to everyone who submitted a petition to help ensure she fulfilled her entire life sentence. Justice has been served.Rest In Peace Harry Robinson. You will never be forgotten.